Local amphorae from the Tyrian cemetery of al-Bass: typology, chronology, function and Mediterranean connections

Abstract

The aim of this paper is a detailed analysis of the local amphorae employed as cinerary urns in tombs of the Iron Age cemetery of al-Bass, in Tyre. This form appeared around the second quarter of the 8th century BC, in an advanced stage of the Late Iron Age, and represents an apparent novelty in the ceramic array of the central Levant. From a typological perspective, this form is connected to the local plain storage-jars; from a technical point of view follow the morphological and decorative traditions of the local workshops; and they seem to be functionally related to Cypriot imports. However, the local amphorae cannot be considered imitations of the latter and neither seem to have substituted them. The apparent reason of the existence of those amphorae consists of changes in the consumption of wine, and their appearance does not seem to be an isolated phenomenon. Other parts of the Mediterranean under direct Levantine influence experienced similar typological phenomena. This circumstance led to the conclusion that some sort of trend in the consumption of wine existed during the 8th century BC, which apparently did not last much longer in the Levant, but continued overseas.